Finding Fraser(30)

“I can’t see it,” I said, but she’d already pulled out onto the street.

I jumped on my bike and pedaled after her. Knee or no knee, I was going to keep up if it killed me.





The ride to Culloden Battlefield was, according to the local map I had tucked in my pack, along a fairly straightforward route of only a bit more than five miles. Susan had been to the battlefield many times before, she assured me, and though it was her first time taking a bicycle, felt it would take us no more than a half an hour to get there. I found the first ten minutes to be pretty tough, negotiating on the left side of the road. Twice I pulled right into traffic, and the second time Susan had to literally reach out and grab my shirt to yank me out of the way of a speeding truck.

She stuck two fingers up at the rapidly receding back of the vehicle. “Feckin’ eejit!” she screamed, not that it seemed to slow him down at all.

She turned back to me. “All right then, Emma?”

I nodded, hoping that the extra calories burned from my heart beating at twice the recommended rate would maybe qualify me for the smaller bike the next time.

“Not sure he knew you were mad at him when you only shot him a peace sign,” I said, when my breath returned.

She laughed. “Ah, you Yanks and yer middle finger salute. This is our version—more of a Celtic Peace Sign, mebbe. Trust me when I say this one has just as ripe a meaning.”

I nodded and filed it away. Susan was a veritable font of local culture, and I felt a moment of gratefulness that fate had introduced us at the pub. My headache had vanished, and now she’d taught me how to swear in sign language. The beginnings of a true friendship.



The ride was fairly uneventful after that. I’d clipped my room key to an outer zipper on my pack, and it jingled lightly as we trundled along the gravel verge of the road. Outside Inverness, there was still a skiff of snow on the ground, but the roads themselves were clear, and the sun and ride combined to keep me warm. I paused and looked both ways at every intersection, just in case, and Susan soon had us pedaling into the parking lot at the gate of the battlefield presentation center.

The road leading to Culloden circled near the actual battlefield before arriving at the entrance, and I peered across the brown lumpy expanse, sure that Susan must be mistaken. I could see sheep wandering about, but how could anyone possibly fight a battle on such an odd and uneven surface?

We rolled our bikes up outside, and Susan expertly locked them together on an otherwise empty bike stand. “Ye can niver be too careful, aye?” she said, tapping the side of her nose.

I tapped back. One more cultural lesson learned. It was turning out to be an amazing day.





11:30 am, March 15

Inverness, Scotland

Haven’t got my laptop with me, so jotting quickly here in my notebook, and will copy to the blog later. Remember to make a short post to note the change of plan. I still hope to try to follow Claire’s footsteps wherever possible, but this is a chance I can’t pass up. The proximity of Culloden Battlefield, and the opportunity for a personal guide has brought me here a bit earlier than I had thought. I’m sure to learn so much, and it’ll probably mean I save a bit of money, too, not having to double-back the way Claire did.





I jammed my little spiral notebook into my pack after making the notes. I’d post to the blog again when I returned to the hostel. By then I’d probably have a ton of interesting facts to add. Susan had turned out to be the best part of the trip so far; a walking Wikipedia of information.

But as I waited for her to come back from the restroom, I found my thoughts turning to the drop in comments from my Japanese fan club. I mean, this trip was supposed to be for me, after all. But my self-confidence had been really shaken by the sudden cyber-silence.

What did this say about me? Just who was I making this trip for, anyway?

I grabbed my notebook again.





Also, remember to leave a note to HiHoKitty and the other commenters from Asia: Make sure to say I’m truly sorry if Rabbie’s remark about the feet offended anyone. To tell you the truth, it offended me, too, and I was just trying to get that across.

Hoping they don’t give up on support for my “Finding Fraser” quest. I have to find some way to say just how important their encouragement has been to me. Whatever else comes of this trip, I’ve learned that I really do enjoy the writing. I’d love to find some way to keep it going, even after the journey...





Susan came marching out of the restroom and slapped me on the arm.

“Why so glum, chum? This place is amazing. And I’ve a few special treats in store for yeh, too. Just follow ol’ Suzy and learn all about it.”